THE decline of local football was again brought into focus on Saturday when the West Cheshire League season opened without the familiar name of Grange Athletic.

The Ellesmere Port club, formed in 1964, was forced to fold during a tumultuous summer.

And club stalwart Roddy Craig, former manager and secretary, has spoken of his anger “that it had come to this” – while reflecting ruefully on the attitude of some of today’s young players.

“It was frustrating because when I was a lad, football was the most important thing, which it isn’t now,” he said.

Craig fought a losing battle to keep the club afloat, helping chairman Frank Heron to stabilise the club’s financial situation, after taking over at the start of last season.

“When we came in the club was struggling to keep its head above water.”

He and his assistant, Ian Riley, continually struggled to field a full complement of players every Saturday.

Craig’s exasperation reached boiling point when one of his players took his boots off at half-time and refused to go back on the pitch for the second half.

“There seemed to be a feeling of entitlement, as some would just turn up when it suited them.

“It’s a shame because I had a great core of about six or seven lads who were terrific to work with.”

The problems came to a head after Athletic finished the season and struggled to sign enough players for the registration deadline. Needing 16 to be signed, Grange were in the low single figures by the end of June, and had no other option but to call it a day as an outfit.

According to Craig, the management switches in the West Cheshire League created upheaval, with changes made at Ellesmere Port, Capenhurst Villa, Vauxhall Reserves and both Christelton and its reserve side.

In this climate, it was impossible for Grange to sign players, as the other Wirral teams looked to make wholesale changes and Grange’s players either signed, or hoped to be signed by other clubs.

Athletic had also been battling to find volunteers to help Craig, Riley and Heron deal with the amount of administrative work required by West Cheshire League clubs.

“This third element makes it difficult for a one-team club, that doesn’t have the infrastructure in place which bigger teams like Vauxhall have.

“The club needed at least a half-dozen people to fulfil the needed functions.”

“It’s a natural progression, that with the administrative regulations, the weaker clubs will go to the wall. In the future there will be less clubs, but they will have stronger infrastructure.”

It is a sad end for a club but Craig was full of praise for the efforts of the chairman: “Frank Heron has been Mr Grange.”